Sustainable Drainage Systems Research Articles

State of a sustainable drainage system at end-of-life: assessment of potential water pollution by leached metals from recycled pervious pavement materials when used as secondary aggregate.

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) have emerged as an effective and attractive approach for stormwater management, prevention of water pollution and flood control due to its sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective approaches. One of the SuDS devices widely used to infiltrate, store and treat surface runoff which allows it to recharge groundwater is the pervious paving systems (PPS). Previous studies have demonstrated relatively high pollution removal efficiencies typically ranging from 98.7% for total hydrocarbons to 89% of COD. Although a small number of the studies have assessed the performance characteristics of the PPS system in long-established installations in terms of retention of pollutants, hydrological features, biodegradation of pollutants etc., none has assessed the risk of potential groundwater and soil pollution by pollutants such as metals retained in the PPS materials either as a disposed waste material (in the case of used geotextiles) or during re-use as secondary aggregates. Thus, this study evaluated potential risks associated with the decommissioning and beneficial use of wastes produced during the disassembly of a PPS. The authors believe that this was the first PPS to be addressed in this way. The method involved the determination of leachable concentrations of 14 metals in the PPS samples made up of extracts from the model profile which included the geotextile fibre (G), dust alone (D), aggregates and dust (AD), aggregates alone (AA) and pavement blocks (P) which were analysed and compared with two different groups of regulatory threshold limits. The results showed that the measured concentrations of all the metals were below the appropriate threshold values for irrigation purposes as specified by FAO and USEPA. Furthermore, results all indicated that the dismantled materials were all below EU LFD WAC limits for inert waste, indicating relative ease of disposal and suitability for use as recycled aggregate. This, admittedly limited data, indicates that recycling of aggregates from demolition wastes arising from end of life PPS would not be limited by the potential leaching of heavy metals, including re-use within another PPS. This would minimise dependence on virgin aggregates and hence reduce rate of exploitation of natural resources and improve sustainability score card of SuDS.

A 3D Reconstruction Pipeline of Urban Drainage Pipes Based on MultiviewImage Matching Using Low-Cost Panoramic Video Cameras

Urban drainage pipe networks have complex spatial contributions, andthey are now facing problems such as damage, defects, and aging. A rapid and high-precision pipe inspection strategy is thekey to ensuring thesustainable development of urban water supply and drainage system. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction pipeline of urban drainage pipes based on multiview image matching using low-cost panoramic video cameras is proposed, which provides an innovative technical approach for pipe inspection. Firstly, we extracted frames from the panoramic video of the pipes andcorrected the geometric distortion using a spherical reprojection to obtain multiview pipe images. Second, the robust feature matching method using support lines and affine-invariant ratios isintroduced to conduct pipe image matching. Finally, the photogrammetric processing, using structure from motion (SfM) and dense reconstruction, wasintroduced to achieve the 3D modeling of drainage pipes. Several typical drainage pipes and shafts of the real scenes were taken for the 3D reconstruction experiments. Theresults show that our strategy can realize high-precision 3D reconstruction of different types of pipes, which can provide effective technical support for rapid and efficient inspection of urban pipes with broad application prospects in the daily management of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDSs).

A cost-benefit analysis model for the retrofit of sustainable urban drainage systems towards improved flood risk mitigation

Purpose The Environment Agency estimates that one in six homes in England (approximately 5.2m properties) are at risk from flooding and 185,000 commercial properties are located in flood-prone areas. Further, an estimate of 10,000 new homes are built on flood plains yearly. The UK has witnessed a significant increase in flood events over the past 10 years. During this period, there has been growing research attention into measures to mitigate the effects of flooding, including the benefits of deploying sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDs) in new developments or as a retrofit. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a cost-benefit analysis model for the retrofit of SuDs focusing on the potential for improved flood risk mitigation in the context of commercial properties. Design/methodology/approach A synthesis of flood risk management and SuDs literature is used to inform the development of a conceptual cost-benefit analysis model for the retrofit of SuDs and focusing on the potential for improved flood risk mitigation in the context of commercial properties. Findings SuDs have been applied successfully in different parts of the world; however, the uptake of SuDs, in particular, the retrofit of SuDs, has been restricted by a number of issues including a lack of experience and trust in their performance and a lack of understanding in their true benefits. In particular, there is the limited experience of retrofitting SuDs and there are no well-established procedures for evaluating the feasibility, value or cost effectiveness of doing this. Social implications This offers the potential to support the UK government’s flood risk management policy by helping to increase the resilience of properties, whilst offering other benefits to communities such as improvements in air quality and biodiversity and also presenting a clearer understanding of the monetary and non-monetary implication to owners of commercial properties for a more informed and acceptable uptake of SuDs retrofit. Originality/value The proposed model will allow a more comprehensive understanding of the costs and associated benefits associated with SuDs retrofit, highlighting the flood risk mitigation benefits that might accrue over a period of time for commercial property.

The Design, Construction and Maintenance of a SuDS management Train to Address Surface water Flows by Engaging the Community: Gawilan Refugee Camp, Ninewah Governate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

AbstractRefugee camps are set up under crisis conditions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) installed as a matter of course. However, in general, little account is taken of surface-water drainage or greywater management until the camp floods or greywater streams become an environmental or health issue. This article reports on the construction of a sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) management train in a refugee camp with the community and local non-governmental organizations to address excess surface water and lack of greywater management in this most challenging of environments. There is thus potential to influence policy, at the first stages of planning, to encourage the installation of drainage as well as WASH. SuDS mimic nature by percolating water into the ground, storing it and allowing slow conveyance to reduce the storm peak, improve water quality and provide space for amenity for residents and for biodiversity. By encouraging the water to infiltrate, polluted standing water between dwellings and on the street is reduced, so that human and environmental health is improved, with the potential to address nuisance-insect-breeding sites. Site walkovers, workshops and meetings engaged residents in the design process from the very beginning. The design produced by the community was professionally drawn up and passed to the UNHCR and local management engineers for comment and approval; this article describes the process of designing and constructing the first SuDS-management train to be built in a humanitarian setting.

Bringing community perceptions into sustainable urban drainage systems: The experience of Extremadura, Spain

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) have arisen as an alternative to “grey” conventional drainage in order to manage stormwater in urbanised areas. While technical aspects regarding the design and construction of SuDS have received most of the attention by academics and practitioners across the world, social aspects such as amenity, health, governance or equity, amongst others, still are not fully considered for design, planning and operation. The present research introduces human aspects of water management beyond traditional schemes to examine community perceptions about SuDS. With this aim, the Smart PLS Path Modelling method has been designed to measure social unobserved variables through indicators, using the UNESCO’s principles. A case study was developed at three neighbouring communities in Cáceres (region of Extremadura), Spain, in order to check the potential of SuDS to be considered for full implementation in Southern Europe. A questionnaire was designed and conducted using 276 dwellers whose average was 39. The participants showed significant sensitivity towards the implementation of SUDS. This research opens a new research line by tackling the knowledge gap identified, informing on how to approach young communities with few or no knowledge about SuDS.

Vegetation development in a stormwater management system designed to enhance ecological qualities

Urban green areas can provide ecosystem services such as biodiversity conservation, recreational and educational services, and local climate regulation including stormwater management. Implementation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) allows for development of designs targeting desired habitats or species groups. This study investigated short-term changes in a plant community following implementation of a SUDS designed to enhance nature quality of a 4.8 ha urban grassland in Lynge, Denmark. Dry basins allowed for water detention with construction entailing terrain modifications, seeding of target species and changes to water dynamics, resulting in four treatments differing in soil conditions and water regimes. Plant species richness and composition were documented before (2012) and two years after (2015 and 2016) implementation of the SUDS. A floral resources index was composed to assess the quality of the flora as foraging resource for four groups of bees. Plant species richness, alpha- and beta-diversity as well as frequency of target plant species significantly increased after SUDS construction, as did floral resources for bees. Increased alpha diversity was primarily seen in areas around dry basins, while the increase in overall beta-diversity related to a shift in plant community composition within dry basins. The SUDS construction also changed dominance relationships among plant groups as forb cover increased at the expense of grasses, and cover of seeded and post-construction naturally colonising species increased. Two years after construction this study confirms potentials of SUDS to enhance ecological value of urban grasslands, when targets for ecological enhancement are integrated in the SUDS design.

Policies for sustainable drainage systems in urban contexts within performance-based planning approaches

In the context of increased urban pluvial flooding risk associated with climate changes and urbanization processes there is a rising demand for a shift from storm-water management approaches that rely on conventional systems, to those aimed at mitigating the eco-hydrological impacts of urban development by the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).Current planning approaches and policies should effectively deal with environmental challenges, especially when looking at the sustainable storm-water management.Policies for SUDS can find a fertile ground in performance-based planning which aims at achieving a set of planning objectives without imposing specific binding indications, but allowing for flexible solutions. Starting from the identification of a set of “performance-based criteria”, this paper discusses different approaches concerning the adoption of SUDS in cities by examining various policy tools. Exemplifying cases of these policies application across international cities are reviewed to evaluate their prevalent performance-based character. The introduced criteria are also used to analyse criticalities, challenges and general implications about the implementation of the different kind of policies in new and existing urban developments. Results suggest that policies cannot be considered purely performance-based but rather have a hybrid character and can be implemented also under mainly conformative planning systems.

Sustainable urban drainage systems: a tool to adapt combined sewer systems to climate change

Climate change is a big challenge that may affect water and sanitation services. The authors studied a strategy to adapt current infrastructure to adverse effects due to climate change, such as more frequent and heavier rainfall, through sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). A part of the sewer network of Santander, in Spain, is taken as a case study. After building the model under the SWMM-5 code, some scenarios were simulated, including short-duration storm analysis, under the current climate and with climate change estimation, for an extended period simulation. The same analysis was performed adding SUDS. Peak flow, energy consumption reductions and the total storm water volume disconnected were measured. Every action had a positive effect in adapting the existing infrastructure to climate change, but the authors observed that when SUDS worked together, the benefits were greater, as expected. Any future intervention might be focused on encouraging SUDS as a drainage solution, not as isolated pilot projects.

Draining Doha: a sustainable approach to water management in an arid region

This paper describes the development of surface water drainage infrastructure to serve Doha, the capital of Qatar, a relatively young and developing city in the Middle East. It discusses the impact of increased urbanisation on flood risk, and the strategies developed and used to provide sustainable drainage systems, and surface and groundwater reuse on a scale not usually seen in a dense urban environment.

Stormwater retention using pervious concrete pavement: Great Western Sydney case study

Urban stormwater runoff is evaluated to be in a higher volume when it is compared to the natural stormwater runoff. This is mainly due to the higher ratio of impervious surfaces in the urban texture which results in less water absorption by the ground. Many organizations around the world is promoting the concept of sustainable drainage system which are, in fact, focusing on not only the quantity of the stormwater retention, but also takes the quality of the stored water in account. This study aims to assess the feasibility of the application of pervious concrete pavements. An area of 754 km2 of the Western suburbs of Sydney has been selected for the case study. Considering the average rainfall in the selected region along with the state government plan on urban developments of the region, it is crucial to evaluate a suitable stormwater retention system. The rainfall data had been collected from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Laboratory experiments had been run to assess the compressive strength of the concrete samples at the age of 7 days. Permeability of the samples had been tested in order to match up the rainfall demand of the region. Workability tests had also been conducted to provide a more comprehensive view on the performance of the proposed pervious concrete also in the fresh state.

Application of StormPav Green Pavement System in a Government Buildings Redevelopment Scheme

StormPav Green Pavement System is a non-commercialized permeable road with a function of stormwater detention. This paper demonstrates the application of the R&D product in part of a 14,000 m2 government building complex as a new feature of sustainable drainage system. To assess its stormwater impacts to the project site, two software are utilized to analyze the stormwater flow processes when merely 10% of the project area is incorporated with StormPav. Firstly, Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used to simulate the project-wide stormwater flow, in which reductions between 22% - 6% in terms of peak flow rates are predicted compared to conventional drains when subjected to 5 – 180 minutes of 10-year Average Recurrent Interval (ARI) design rainfall. Secondly, SolidWorks Flow Simulation (SWFS) simulates the detailed flow processes within the StormPav system, in which it is found 0.5 – 1.3 m/s of velocities are predicted around the inlets and outlet that conform to the local stormwater management standard. Besides, SWFS allows visualization of velocity and streamline profiles across the StormPav system that conventional SWMM could not provide.

Residents’ perceptions of sustainable drainage systems as highly functional blue green infrastructure

Blue-green infrastructure for storm water management in the UK is considered to be part of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). Design guidance recommends that source control and treatment trains are embedded within developments. This means that residents live next to SuDS performing functions such as infiltration, conveyance and storage. In addition to hydraulic attenuation, SuDS can provide benefits such as water quality improvement, wildlife habitat and amenity. However, economic pressure to maximise development opportunity means that designs do not always maximise these benefits. Therefore, residents’ perceptions of the benefits and problems of living with SuDS are important as these may affect residential property values and willingness to pay management fees, which could justify high quality designs that deliver multiple benefits. This study aimed to investigate these issues through a survey of residents living with SuDS across six housing developments in England, 406/2916 responses were collected. The developments had good quality SuDS, with an established residential population and active housing market. The residents had varied levels of awareness of the presence and function of SuDS. Generally, residents liked the wildlife and green space but this was tempered with concerns over pests (rats and mosquitoes) and litter. Maintenance of SuDS was also an issue and at three sites residents were charged management fees which were not well understood and caused concern. The majority of residents were unwilling to contribute more to maintenance. Most residents and local estate agents did not perceive that SuDS increased property values. Raising awareness of the benefits of SuDS may lead to greater acceptance by residents and encourage developers to include them in developments, which could contribute to overcoming one of the barriers to wider implementation.

Design of Sustainable Road Drainage System Model

The existing drainage system of roads proposed to manage the quantity of runoff from the road only, while the quality remains uncontrolled. In fact the pollutants and waste originated from the road surface contains hazardous substances. Sustainable drainage system (SUDS) concept offers various structures to solve both quantity and quality problems of surface runoff from roads. One of the potential drainage structure is filter drain or infiltration trench develope along the right side and left side of road. It could be developed by retrofitting the existing drainage channel of the road. The objective of this paper proposes the design model of road drainage based on the concept of a sustainable urban drainage system. The model consists of U-ditch channel, reservoir, an infiltration well. The bottom of U-ditch channel completed with a number of holes to make it porous. The channel filled with aggregate to filter the runoff from the road before flow down into the reservoir beneath. The water is then discharged to infiltration well. The model was developed based on rainfall data and other physical characteristics in Ambarawa City, Semarang Regency, Central Java.The channel dimensions and the depth of aggregate filter were designed base on runoff volume. The relationship among rainfall, runoff volume, area ratio, and drainage dimension are obtained. The results concept of sustainable road drainage is obtained in addressing the quality and quantity of rainwater.

The potential of sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) as an adaptive strategy to climate change in the Spanish Mediterranean

ABSTRACT Changes in weather pattern caused by climate change generate more frequent extreme rain events as well as droughts. Sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) are useful adaptations to this new reality. The paper surveys the use of these systems in other countries in relation to their use in Spain, particularly the Spanish Mediterranean region. There is a future for more detention of floodwaters as well as more use against drought of water which can be treated and reused.

Evaluating the Thermal Performance of Wet Swales Housing Ground Source Heat Pump Elements through Laboratory Modelling

Land-use change due to rapid urbanization poses a threat to urban environments, which are in need of multifunctional green solutions to face complex future socio-ecological and climate scenarios. Urban regeneration strategies, bringing green infrastructure, are currently using sustainable urban drainage systems to exploit the provision of ecosystem services and their wider benefits. The link between food, energy and water depicts a technological knowledge gap, represented by previous attempts to investigate the combination between ground source heat pump and permeable pavement systems. This research aims to transfer these concepts into greener sustainable urban drainage systems like wet swales. A 1:2 scaled laboratory models were built and analysed under a range of ground source heat pump temperatures (20–50 °C). Behavioral models of vertical and inlet/outlet temperature difference within the system were developed, achieving high R2, representing the first attempt to describe the thermal performance of wet swales in literature when designed alongside ground source heat pump elements. Statistical analyses showed the impact of ambient temperature and the heating source at different scales in all layers, as well as, the resilience to heating processes, recovering their initial thermal state within 16 h after the heating stage.

Role of drainage layer on green roofs in limiting the runoff of rainwater from urbanized areas

Abstract Green roofs play a significant role in sustainable drainage systems. They form absorbent surfaces for rainwater, which they retain with the aid of profile and plants. Such roofs therefore take an active part in improving the climatic conditions of a city and, more broadly, the water balance of urbanized areas. One of the factors influencing the hydrological efficiency of green roofs is the drainage layer. In the article, column studies were carried out under field conditions involving the comparison of the retention abilities of two aggregates serving as the drainage layer of green roofs, i.e. Leca® and quartzite grit. The average retention of the substrate was 48%; for a 5 cm drainage layer of Leca® retention was 57%, for a 10 cm layer of Leca average retention was 61%. For a 5 cm layer of quartzite grit average retention was 50%, for 10 cm layer of quartzite grit 53%. The highest retention was obtained for the column with the substrate and 10-centimeter layer of Leca®. At the same time, it was shown that Leca® is a better retention material than quartzite grit. The initial state of substrate moisture content from a green roof appears to be a significant factor in reducing rainfall runoff from a green roof; the obtained values of initial moisture content made for a higher correlation than the antecedent dry weather period.

Stormwater runoff quality on an urban highway in South Africa

Roadway sediment and stormwater runoff were sampled from a 15 km section of the R300 freeway located in the greater Cape Town area, South Africa. Grab samples were collected over a four-month period in 2016 and analysed for metals, hydrocarbons and nutrients. The metal concentration profiles were similar in sediment and runoff samples. The primary pollutants identified in the highway runoff were aluminium, copper, lead, manganese, nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, total suspended solids (TSS), and oil and grease. The concentrations of each of these elements, barring lead, exceeded the national effluent water quality guidelines. Large volumes of macro pollutants such as cigarettes, plastic and packaging were also observed. The results of this research indicate that Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) should be used in conjunction with highways, particularly where runoff may influence a sensitive or valuable aquatic ecosystem, as it can be a significant non-point source of pollution.

Proposta de drenagem sustentável para uma municipalidade de pequeno porte – Estudo de caso

A atual preocupação com relação a renovação e preservação dos recursos naturais promove estudos que relacionam a redução, reuso e reciclagem destes recursos. A Engenharia Civil, em específico o setor de Infraestrutura Urbana, tem responsabilidade pela preservação do ecossistema das áreas urbanizadas e em processo de urbanização. A urbanização deve ser realizada de forma a promover a redução do impacto ambiental e a aplicação de medidas que preservam as Áreas de Preservação Permanentes, usam adequadamente o solo, preservam os mananciais, manejam as águas pluviais e permitem a recarga das águas subterrâneas, tratam os efluentes, entre outras. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo é propor um sistema de drenagem sustentável para a área central de uma municipalidade de pequeno porte. O objeto do estudo de caso tem área de 280,8 km² e foram estudados dois cenários de drenagem urbana, convencional e sustentável. O desenvolvimento considerou o emprego de medidas que preservem e reusem os recursos hídricos, reduzem a poluição difusa e promovem a recarga das águas subterrâneos. A conclusão do estudo é que ao adotar medidas sustentáveis para a drenagem urbana há a redução do coeficiente de deflúvio das áreas e da vazão pluvial lançada no sistema de drenagem. Por consequência destas reduções a metodologia adotada alcança seus objetivos.

Influence of rainfall intensity and pollution build-up levels on water quality and quantity response of permeable pavements

Permeable pavements are part of stormwater management practices known as sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). This study describes the influence of several environmental variables, such as the rainfall regime or the pollution build-up level, on the hydraulic and water quality performance of permeable pavements. Four infiltrometers with different configurations of pavement layers were used to study the influence of two rainfall regimes (Atlantic and Mediterranean) and two rainfall intensities (0.5 and 2.2mm/min). The influence of the progressive pollution build-up level was studied by dry sprinkling of road deposited sediments collected with a mechanical street sweeper with a dose of 5g/m2/d. The results show that permeable pavements retained a significant rainwater volume and improved the infiltrated water quality in terms of suspended solids, organic matter and nutrients when compared to the corresponding surface runoff potentially generated from an impervious pavement. The volume of rainwater retained inside them varied between 16 and 66% depending on the variables studied. The water infiltrated from permeable pavements subjected to a Mediterranean rainfall regime contained, in general, higher concentrations of organic matter (22 to 89mg Chemical Oxygen Demand/l) and nutrients (0.6 to 2.1mg Total Nitrogen/l and 0.05 to 0.45mg Total Phosphorus/l) than those under Atlantic regime. However, the latter infiltrated higher loadings in terms of mass. Nitrogen was the substance that infiltrated the most, reaching a 25% of the total mass of nitrogen deposited on the pavements surface. The concentration and mass loading in infiltrated water increased as the pollution build-up level did. The leachability of nutrients and organic matter was greater for high rainfall intensities. The results suggest that it is essential to carry out an adequate cleaning in dry conditions, especially when high intensity rainfall events are foreseen, because of its greater capacity to mobilize pollutants.

Site selection of sustainable urban drainage systems using fuzzy logic and multi‐criteria decision‐making

AbstractThe rapid growth of cities together with increases in their populations is accompanied by numerous problems in run‐off management when flood events occur. The LID–BMP (Low Impact Development–Best Management Practice) approach seeks an environment‐friendly development in the management of surface run‐off. One important aspect of using such systems is to determine the optimal placement for effective storm water management. The current research presents a method for finding optimum locations for LID–BMP systems. The study area is located in the northern region of Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Three systems, infiltration trenches, vegetated swale and bioretention, were selected for this study. At first, criteria effective in finding locations for these systems were identified, comprising slope, land use and distance from streams, roads, groundwater and fault lines. Then, fuzzy logic and the analytic hierarchical process in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were employed to combine multiple layers to select optimum locations for these three systems. Finally, considering the field study and taking into account the specific land uses in the region, the optimum locations for these systems were suggested. The sensitivity analysis results showed that the suitable sites were intensely affected by the land use criterion; therefore, attention is recommended, especially in developed urban areas.